Mouse-guard for pianos.



S. D. BELL.

MOUSE GUARD FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, I916.

Patented May 21 1918.

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WITNESS UNITED STATES PATENT oFF -cn.

sILA's D. BELL, or GHILDRESS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR To a. H. -iviov'rnaY, 0F CHILDRESS COUNTY, TEXAS.

MOUSE-GUARD FOR .PIAN'OS.

Application filed May 13, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAS D. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chil' dress, in the county of Childress and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mouse-Guards for Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an upright device for closing the opening in the front of a piano directly below a pedal to thereby render the piano mouse proof, said closing device also acting under spring tension to return the pedal to inoperative position and coiiperating with the pedal in its up and down movement in the front board of the piano.

The principal objects ofmy invention are first, to provide, in a piano, a simple and efiicient device for closing each slot or opening in the front board of the piano in which slot or opening a pedal normally reciprocates and second, to provide in conjunction with a pedal of the piano, two substantially tubular standards each secured on the front board of the piano adjacent to a sidevof the pedal slot, and a plate sliding in said standards under spring tension, the upper edge of the plate resting under the pedal and the body of the plate forming a closure for the slot in said front board below the pedal when the pedal is in elevated inoperative position.

The nature and scope of my' invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the front board of a piano taken directly above the pedals and illustrating a plurality of devices embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same, one pedal being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the guard removed from the piano.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the front board of the piano and 2 the pedals working in slots 3 formed in said front Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Serial No. 97,249.

board 1. As illustrated in the drawings, the usual number of slots and pedals, namely three, is shown. At each side edge of a pedal slot 3 is secured a substantially tubular standard 4, the standards by preference being rolled or coiled from a strip of metal leaving two ears 5 through which screws 6 may be inserted to fasten each standard to the front board 1. The upper screw of each standard 4 forms a means for securing one end of a spiral spring 7 to a fixed or immovable part of the piano. The lower end of each spring 7 is secured to a plate 8 which is thus suspended by the two springs 7 from a fixed or immovable part of the piano. The plate 8 has side edges or extensions 9 riding up and down in the two tubular standards 4, said standards being suitably slitted or cut away as at 10 (see Fig. 3) to permit the free movement of the plate 8 up and down in the tubular standards 4. The plate 8 has an upper edge 11 always resting under and in con tact with the lower face of a pedal 2, and the body of plate 8 extends below said pedal 2 when the pedal is elevated to close the slot 3 in which said pedal works.

In operation when a pedal 2 is depressed in its slot 3, the plate 8 is drawn down against the tension of springs 7 in the tubular standards 4. WV'hen the pedal is released and returns to its upper position in slot 3, the plate 8 under spring tension. serves to assist the pedal in its upward movement.

If desired the springs 7 supporting the plate 8 may be made sufliciently strong to return the pedal to its upward position without the use of a separate spring in the pedal lever 2 and hence said springs 7 may accomplish a double function, namely the proper supporting of the guard plate in the standards 4 and the returning of the pedal to its inoperative position without keeping the pedal lever under tension of its usual spring.

Having thus described the nature and obj ects of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a device of the character described, two hollow standards arranged respectively at an edge of a pedal slot, means for securing from the front board of the piano and bethe standards to the front board of the tween the standards. piano, a plate sliding in said standards and In testimony whereof I have signed my having its upper edge resting under a pedal, name to this specification.

5 and springs arranged in the standards and forming means for suspending the plate 1 SILAS D. BELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

